The present invention relates generally to timer devices for medicine dispensers which provide a correct time that a dosage needs to be taken by an individual, and more particularly to a medicine dispenser timer which can be added to an existing medical vial, such as a prescription vial or bottle as originally filled by a pharmacy, or an original non-prescription medicine container, wherein the timer is activated by opening or closing the medicine vial and displays an indication of the next correct dosage on the medicine container cap.
Medication administration errors are well documented in pharmacy and medical literature. Many administration errors are due to inappropriate time intervals of given doses. The result is either overdosing and toxicity, or under dosing causing a sub-therapeutic drug blood level. There are solutions to this dosage interval problem in prior art, but with several problems. These problems are divided into four general areas.
First are the devices that require redistribution of medication from the original container, as dispensed from the pharmacy, distributor, or manufacturer. These devices may result in errors during redistribution, loss of original labeling, and loss of physical and chemical properties protected in the original container.
Second, many devices replace the original container lid. This again may alter the physical and chemical properties of the original container. Replacement of the original container lid also necessitates the device be manufactured in a vast array of configurations and sizes to be useful with the large variety of containers currently in the marketplace.
Third, liquid dosage forms present problems for current devices as the closures are different than those found on containers of solid dosage forms. Liquid dosage forms cannot readily be redistributed into compartmental type devices.
Fourth, many devices and systems require programming or record keeping. Programming can be difficult for patients who are disabled or elderly. Multiple medications can complicate programming requirements and multiple caregivers can add to problems with devices that are difficult to use.
Examples of the above prior art devices are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,419,016, 4,939,705, 5,233,571, and 5,751,660, as well as the exemplary prior devices described therein. U.S. Pat. No. 4,419,016 discloses a device for indicating last mediation usage which includes a container with a screw on cap which uses a compression switch to indicate the time when the container was last opened to remove a dosage of medication or to display the time elapsed since the cap was last taken off of the container. The cap is said to fit standard vials or containers. Variations of a compression switch are disclosed, such as a pliable extension which is inserted between the cap threads and the bottle neck threads so that as the cap is threaded on the neck, the pliable extension is compressed and contacts within the extension are actuated. U.S. Pat. No. 4,939,705 discloses a container and cap combination wherein a timing device in the cap measures a time interval between when a cap is removed and when the cap is reinstalled to determine a true medical dose access event and distinguish them from false events. In addition, the dispensing container would require redistribution of medicine from the original containers presently used by pharmacies. U.S. Pat. No. 5,233,571 discloses a medication timer having a timing-alarm unit activated by a compression switch which also requires the manufacture of a special medicine cap which would have to replace the standard pharmaceutical cap containers used by pharmacies, or would require a new cap/container combination and redistribution of the medication from the original container. U.S. Pat. No. 5,751,660 discloses a base timer device to which a typical pharmaceutical cap and vial may be attached. The vial may be removed from the base and discarded when empty. The base includes a push button that needs to be actuated by a patient to set the time at which the medication was taken. There appears not to be any correlation between the cap opening and the actuation of the push button so that reliability is compromised.
The goals of the present invention are therefore to provide a device for the timely administration of medication that does not require the redistribution of medications from the original container and does not require replacement of the original container lid. The device should be compatible with all types of child safety and other security closures found on both solid and liquid dosage forms of both prescription and over-the-counter medications. Additionally, the device should be simple to use and not require programming or initial set-up, other than the affixation to an existing container lid. Further goals are to provide a device that is compact, inexpensive to manufacture, and reliable.